Chapter 37: Thor and the Wizard's Town Life (Part 1)
After giving Thor a close-range hammer blow, Sherlock comfortably returned to the alley he had originally left.
It wasn't until Sherlock walked back to his hotel that he felt a slight sense of trepidation.
He seemed to have been a bit too arrogant, causing trouble right under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nose.
If Nick Fury or the HYDRA group found out he could use magic, they would definitely stick to him like a plaster.
At that point, unless he abandoned everything he had and hid in a place like Kamar-Taj, Nick Fury would definitely find all sorts of ways to make him willingly or unwillingly complete certain tasks.
Sherlock silently repeated his goal several times: he was here for the Destroyer Armor, not to stir up trouble.
He quietly opened up his senses to check if anyone was monitoring him.
Strangely, Sherlock didn't sense any prying eyes, nor were there any surveillance personnel around his room.
Despite this, Sherlock remained cautious.
After setting up a Confundus Charm in the room to make it appear as if he was just lying on the bed reading, he took out the pirated Meow-Meow Hammer he had used to hit Thor from his library.
As expected, the pirated Meow-Meow Hammer was now largely deflated, and the deflated part clearly bore Thor's pained face, looking like a pain mask growing on the Meow-Meow Hammer.
Sherlock rolled around on the bed, delighted.
He wondered if this meant he now owned Thor's ultimate merchandise—a Meow-Meow Hammer that had personally hammered Thor.
After a while, Sherlock finally recovered, put the hammer back into his library for permanent collection, and casually pulled out a book on Alchemy.
He lay on the bed, intending to read for a bit before showering and sleeping.
The next day, Sherlock slept until noon before comfortably getting up and washing.
He leisurely went to the restaurant to eat what he wasn't sure was breakfast or lunch.
Strangely, as soon as Sherlock walked through the door, he saw Thor and Jane Foster again.
This time, Dr. Erik Selvig, the astronomy Dr., was not with them.
Only Jane Foster, the big-chested girl from the Broke Girls, and Thor remained, with the two girls comforting a dejected Thor.
The three also noticed Sherlock walking in.
The two girls greeted Sherlock with a slight awkwardness, and Sherlock naturally responded generously, even greeting Thor.
It was as if he wasn't the one who had hammered Thor with a hammer yesterday.
Being young people, they quickly became acquainted.
It was only then that Sherlock learned that the big-chested girl from the Broke Girls was named Daisy Louise.
After simply sharing a meal, they quickly parted ways.
Sherlock didn't mind, finishing his ordered food on his own before getting up to explore the town further.
The town wasn't very big; a short stroll was enough for Sherlock to see its entirety.
This also meant that there were very few entertainment options in the town.
Left with no choice, Sherlock walked into the town's only bar.
The bar was like many typical U.S. American bars, filled with rednecks drinking.
It was very lively, and Sherlock wasn't shy.
With his recent travel experiences, he was quite popular among the crowd, especially his experiences in Florida.
Thanks to the ubiquitous 'crouching dragon, hidden phoenix' types and unique geographical features, what was originally a perfectly good state was dubbed 'America's Cowboy' by the people in the bar, and they seemed to enjoy it.
Sherlock was naturally among them, laughing heartily with the town's natives, not feeling lonely at all.
By evening, the lively atmosphere in the small bar gradually reached its peak.
As the townspeople finished their day's work, people continuously streamed into the bustling small bar.
Sherlock didn't pay much attention, sitting at the bar, savoring his beer, listening to the newcomers tell other jokes, and laughing heartily, until a large hand patted Sherlock's shoulder.
Sherlock turned around in confusion.
It was Thor, Daisy Louise, and Jane Foster.
The three had already become quite familiar due to the morning meal, and now, under the influence of alcohol, their relationship quickly warmed up.
Thor continuously recounted his experiences in Asgard to them.
They listened with great interest, as jokes are always jokes, as long as they bring happiness.
During this time, Jane Foster also told Sherlock about their recent situation.
The two ladies were on vacation because their experimental equipment had been temporarily requisitioned by S.H.I.E.L.D., and their and the Dr.'s astronomical research had been suspended, leaving them to only do some paperwork.
As for Thor, after the shock of not being able to lift the Meow-Meow Hammer, and with Jane Foster's persuasion, Thor temporarily put aside his plan to return to Asgard.
He decided to find a job in the town to support himself first, as Thor, being an Asgardian warrior, could not accept living solely off Jane Foster.
Hearing that Thor needed to find a job, Sherlock mischievously offered to help Thor with it.
Although the three were puzzled, seeing Sherlock's enthusiasm, they didn't say much more.
Afterward, they chatted for a long time before drunkenly parting ways and heading home.
It wasn't until Sherlock returned to the hotel that he used magic to dispel the alcohol from his body and carefully recalled his interactions with Thor and Jane Foster.
He then sighed, realizing that Thor just had a rather severe case of 'chunibyo' (middle school syndrome).
After all, in Asgard, where everyone had chunibyo, Sherlock was not at all surprised by Thor's condition.
Aside from the chunibyo, Sherlock felt that Thor could still be a good friend, and even found him quite interesting to interact with occasionally.
After all, aside from the chunibyo, Sherlock discovered that Thor was merely a simpleton and a fun-loving person just like himself.
In some aspects, the two could be said to be unusually similar.
Under Thor's influence, Sherlock even began to become curious about Asgard, starting to ponder if he could find a way to sneak over to Asgard for a stroll.
Hmm, but that would have to wait until after he had finished exploring Earth.